Sparks and Spies
by LittleMissBrit
Summary: CA/OC. It started with a drawing and conversation. How was he to know who she was and how it would end?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMED**

**Chapter 1**

The sun on the summer morning was the harshest seen in the year so far. Those who had opted to sit in the shade were easily the wisest- those sat in the rays' direct path were quite obviously struggling, fanning themselves with menu and wiping their brows with napkins.

Several months had passed sinced the Battle of New York and it was still on everybody's mind. Citizens still awoke screaming after nightmares, the death and destruction an ever-laying film in their brains. However, the New Yorkers were a strong bunch and in the aftermath of tragedy, they stayed defiant.

Steve Rogers was no in the mood to dwell on such events. Life had been very quiet for him, with no job or SHIELD commitments to keep him busy. The Super Soldier had opted to lay low which honestly suited him. His days were spent learning about the modern world- which mainly consisted of watching newer films, listening to music and reading books. His tiny apartment was a small comfort to him- it was quiet, with no nosy or noisy neigbours to annoy him. However, the café had also been welcoming. He'd discovered that wireless did not mean wireless radio, but actually on-the-go internet, something he was still pretty new to. Stark had devoted himself to being Steve's technical teacher but he'd found his teammate to be a less than capable (well, by his standards) student, so had just shoved some books in his face and thrown him out of the Tower. However, Steve had managed to work out his cell phone pretty quickly and was the proud owner of a Samsung. It wasn't by any means fancy, but he was able to call, text and take pictures, something that was enough for him.

He'd used his intellect and was currently seated underneath a large red umbrella. Next to his cup of coffee was a sketchpad and a pencil, a fancy artist one that his kind elderly neighbour Sally had bequeathed to him. She was a kind woman in her eighties whom Steve had first encountered when he'd helped her carry her shopping bags up the stairs. Ever since then, they'd become rather friendly and he'd even been to her apartment for tea a couple of times. It was a pokey little place with the strange smell of cats (which was rather curious, as pets were not allowed in their building), but Steve enjoyed the company nonetheless.

The book was currently empty- everything Steve had drawn had been immediately scribbled out. He had no muse, no creative juices.

"Refill?"

He looked up at the waitress, the same one who'd tried several ways to grab his attention for the past hour. She'd been laying it on very thick and it kind of scared him. She smiled flirtatiously at him, holding a jug in one hand.

"Please."

She bent over, letting the drink flow in.

"Will that be all, sugar?"

His cheeks tinged to a pink as he shook his head, "No, thank you."

Carla (her nametag gave that away) nodded and winked at him, sauntering away with a flick of her Pantene-style hair. Steve always felt uncomfortable around women, especially the ones who threw themselves at him.

To be honest, she was no Peggy.

Oh gosh, Peggy. Even the name gave him shivers. He could still remember her soft, heartwarming eyes, her happy laugh. Sometimes, if he really focused, he could feel her lips on his, the warmth and the passion rolled into one.

He'd checked the files. Married, well, widowed. She hadn't had any kids but he was unsure whether this surprised him or not. She'd retired from her job some thirty years ago, when she'd reached her mid sixties and was living in Britain. Part of him wished to hop on a plane and fly there, see her, hug her. What was he supposed to say?

He was ready to completely lose himself in thought when he saw _her._

She wasn't particularly beautiful by any standards but she wasn't exactly plain- just pretty. But there was something about her that attracted the captain to her. He couldn't see her eyes, as they were obscured by her long, red-polished fingers which were resting by the side of her face. She was dressed simply in a grey blouse and what looked like black jeggins (was that the correct term, he wondered) which were matched by ballet flats.

He watched as she pulled the bobble from her messy bun, letting her hair tumble down. It was a deep brunette, long and wavy, past her shoulders. Running a hand through it wearily, she focused herself on one of those iPad thingys that he'd seen Natasha, Pepper and some of the others using. He understood it to be like a small computer which did not require a wire, unless it needed to be charged. He could bearly master his phone, so had not bothered with one. She tapped on it with little interest, seemingly quite bored.

Steve found it hard to tear his eyes away from her. It wasn't like she was extra special- she wasn't breathing fire or juggling puppies. But there was most definitely something there. He dearly hoped that she didn't turn around to see him staring at her, or it would be definitely awkward.

That's when it hit him.

He flipped open the sketchpad and took the pencil from underneath the white napkin. Slowly but surely, he began sketching the outline of her heart-shaped face. It was at that point that she turned to look in his general direction, but she was seemingly ignoring him, merely glancing into the distance. After making a basic outline he was pleased with, he drew it in a darker detail, so it was more profound than a simple sketch. Remember everything he could from the art classes of the 40's, he moved on to her facial features.

Her eyes were almond shape, something he found easy to draw initially, but difficult to draw. Deciding no to dwell on them, he focused on her nose and lips. Unfortunately, Carla blocked his way as she bent down to give the woman her drink. She seemed to be taking her darn time, he thought, considering how many customers there were. After she moved out of the way, it took him several minutes to make the features perfect. After several futile attempts, he was ready to give up but the determinator in him took over and soon enough, they were done to a satisfactory standard.

As she sipped her drink, carefully avoiding spilling it all over her iPad, he began to draw her hair. Deciding that her current style would be easiest to draw, he set to work, making sure the ends had the little flick like hers did.

So far, his drawing looked pretty good.

He decided that he was going to settle for just drawing her upper body. The top of the blouse rested under her shoulders, with no straps and ¾ length sleeves. The rest was pretty simple- just a smooth hem and buttons.

It didn't take him long to finish it and soon enough, her image stared back. Signing his name at the bottom, he was pretty content with it. Compared to a lot of others, this was one of his better drawings.

"Nice picture."

He almost jumped out of his skin as Carla placed a palm on the table, staring down at his work. She tried to smile, but her face betrayed her jealousy.

"Thanks."

She looked up and noticed the girl.

"Want me to tell her?"

Steve was only half-listening and a 'yes' escaped his lips, before realising what he was agreeing to. Before he could stop her, Carla was at the table.

Steve cursed himself. What a creep he'd look like- no one went around and started drawing random folk, unless it was for a class or something.

The woman looked up as she spoke before turning to look at him, locking his eyes in hers. She spoke once again to the waitress, who nodded. Picking up her bag and shoving it over her shoulder, she strode over.

A million excuses flew through his head, each lamer than the next.

"Hello," she smiled, not looking in the least bit angry, "I heard you drew a picture of me."

"Yeah, I did," he blushed, "It's not something I usually do, trust me, I'm not the type. I was just looking for something to draw and you...you were there."

"May I take a look?"

He nodded and handed it over. She mused over it for several moments, biting her lip with a poker expression. He could simply not tell whether she liked it or not. Nodding, she handed it back.

"That's really good, brilliant in fact. You an artist or something?"

He shook his head, "Former forces, ma'am."

"Forces, eh? That's pretty cool. Do you mind if I come sit down?"

He was too taken aback by the request to reject and made a sign of acceptance. A sweet smile appeared on her face as she crossed back to her own table, picking up her cup in one hand and closing the other around the top of the chair. Dragging it over without making too much of a noise, she propped it across from where he was sitting. Placing the cup down, she placed herself down on the seat.

"So, what's your name?"

"Steve Rogers, ma'am."

"There's no need to call me ma'am," she smiled softly; "You can call me Emily. After all, that's my name- Emily Collins."

"You know, if you want me to rip up the picture, I will," he told her suddenly, "I mean, I'm in no position to make you uncomfortable. I don't think many people go around doing this kind of thing."

She looked at him, moderately surprised, "No, it is quite okay. So, do you draw a lot then?"

He shook his head, "I didn't take it up again until recently. I drew a lot a long, long time ago but then my job got in the way and I just didn't find the time."

"Are you still in the forces?" she paused, before face-palming herself, "Sorry, stupid question. You did say former forces."

"Honourable discharge a few months ago," he hoped that she wouldn't catch onto the lie, "I just fancied a change of pace."

They sat in silence for a while. He noticed that she was staring at him- not in a weird way, but in a curious manner, like she had many unanswered question she wished to ask. He tried to make new conversation at least a dozen times, but the words became dry in his mouth, turning into sandpaper.

"You know, I come to this place a lot, yet I've never seen you before. Are you a regular or is this your first time here?"

"I haven't worked since I left the forces, so I have a lot of free time and am either here or at my apartment. It's nice- I like it."

She nodded in agreement, "Which borough did you live in?"

"I lived in Brooklyn for most of my life but I moved to SoHo recently."

"SoHo? That's a pretty cool place; I've got a few friends there. Do you like Manhattan or do you prefer Brooklyn?"

"I miss Brooklyn a lot, I'm starting to wish that I was back there but I'm slowly getting used to Manhattan. What about you?"

"I live in Chelsea and I like it quite a lot. There's so many different people and cultures. I've lived there for a few years after I graduated from college."

"Where do you come from originally?"

"Pennsylvania. I lived in Connecticut for a while, when I was at Yale."

Steve was pretty impressed by that. He remembered in the 1940's when getting it into Ivy League was something _extremely _impressive. Seriously, if you got in, you were high up in everybody's mind. He remembered a conversation between Pepper and Tony a few weeks ago, when she discussed a family friend who had gotten into Dartmouth. It was a little less selective nowadays, but still impressive nonetheless.

"What did you study?"

"Psychology."

"You a psychologist then?" he asked, interested.

She shook her head, "No, I just thought it would be useful in my career. I work in law enforcement."

"_Well, if by law enforcement she means going round New York fighting off aliens with the help of a God and a guy who turns into a huge green 'monster,' then we're in the same line of work," he thought._

"That sounds interesting."

"It is," she agreed, looking strangely at him, "Different each day, never the same thing."

A ringing noise interrupted their staring contest. Looking slightly peeved, Emily fumbled in her bag and pulled out a smartphone.

"Hello?"

He watched as she looked even more annoyed. It was obvious that she was talking to a boss of some kind, something about her having to go into work even if it was her day off. In the end, she just sighed and agreed.

As she hung up and locked the phone, she turned to look at Steve.

"Sorry about that," she looked very apologetic, "I'm supposed to have the day off but there's some kind of emergency and I have to go in."

She threw her phone back in the handbag and stood up.

"It was really nice meeting you. I'll look for you next time I'm in the café, which will probably be some time next week."

_Ask for her number, come on. She's pretty and nice, much nicer than many other people you've met. There's no guarantee you'll see her again and even if you do, it might not be next week. It could be months away._

"Oh. Well, it was lovely meeting you too."

_Oh no._

She took her cup and consumed the last remaning part of her coffee. Placing it back down, she smiled one last time.

"Bye, Steve."

"Goodbye, Emily."

Nodding slightly, she turned on her heel and strode away, her hair bouncing happily as she walked. Steve watched her retreating back and tried to eat away the feelings of regret.

Finishingg his drink, he barely noticed that Carla was back at the table.

"Are you done with that?"

He nodded and placed it gently on her tray. Reaching into his back pocket, he got a couple of quarters and put them next to the cup.

"Nice service," he told her politely as he stood up. Giving her a shaky smile, he briefly checked his person before heading off.

Whistling to himself, he waited at the edge of the crossing as the New York traffic sped by him. Even after a minute or so of parting, Emily had wormed her way into his brain.

After all, tomorrow is a new day.

**So, there's the start. I hope you enjoyed it- this is my fifth version of it. I change my mind far too much.**

**Just to add, this is my first MCU story. I re-watched the Avengers a few months ago and became obsessed with the whole thing. I'd already some of the films, but hadn't really thought of them. No flames please and if you have something to say, such as constructive crisicism, I will try to listen.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again soon xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMED**

**Thank you to the 7 who followed and the 4 who favourited. Also thanks to the lovely reviewer Imaginary Owls x**

**Chapter 2**

_2 days later_

Emily watched as several New Yorkers placed candles and teddies around a group of photos. A lady in her late fifties fell to the ground, on her hands and knees, sobbing relentlessly as a man whom looked to be her husband put an arm around her. He sent the camera a look that plaining said 'stop filming.'

It panned away as the reporter talked briefly about the memorial, with intercut videos of rescue services digging out bodies. She couldn't believe that it had taken two months to locate some of the lost. It made her sick inside. Soon enough, the story finished and the anchors began talking about a moderate gas leak in a lab in Cheyenne.

Shaking her head, she headed back down the corridor, not being able to watch anymore on the plasma screen mounted high on the wall. Being back after several months away in London felt good- she'd only been at base for an hour or so when she was briefed, along with all other personnel, on the current events.

However, not all was well. SHIELD was not SHIELD for her without Phil Coulson, her uncle. Getting that phone call had changed everything- she sat in her hotel room for days, only leaving for meals, in a state of constant sadness. Her mentor, the man who had inspired her to join the organisation was gone- never coming back. But she knew that she was going to make him proud and become one of the finest agents SHIELD had ever seen, in whatever field she chose to be in. She wasn't necessarily religious but she hoped that he would be watching her from somewhere.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, unlocking the screen to see the message.

'_Get to the room ASAP,'_ sent from her superior, Agent Randy Denvers. She didn't particularly like the man but she followed his instructions without question- she wanted to get out of his team as soon as she could. Shrugging, she turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction of her previously selected destination.

-SPARKS AND SPIES-

It didn't take long for her to get to the regular meeting room and as she rounded the corridor, she noticed several of her teammates leaving the room with folders under their arms, some looking pleased, but others annoyed. Wondering what was happening, she stopped Natalie Tanner, a co-worker she had become quite good friends with.

"Hey, what's happening? Denvers sent me a text to get me here quickly and next thing I know, everyone's leaving."

Natalie shook her head and smiled, "We're all being re-assigned. Our time in Denvers' team has come to a close and we're going to finally be more than a shadow."

A shadow was a term for a younger agent who followed a superior and worked in their team- SHIELD agents were shadows several times in their early career before they were sent to a team that Fury believed that they would be beneficial in. They had the choice to whether they wanted to stay in said team or if they wanted to request a transfer.

"Where you heading?"

"I'm going to Amanda Granger's Undercover Unit."

Emily groaned in jealousy- Amanda was one of the coolest and most popular agents whilst the UU was the most sought-after team.

"You're so lucky! I bet I get stuck with someone really crap. I mean, I'll love whatever job I get most likelt but it makes a difference if I get a terrible group."

Natalie chuckled.

"Well, I've got to go now. Good luck."

"Thanks," Emily called after the other agent as she walked away. Feeling slightly nervous, she entered.

Denvers was seated at the end of the table, with yet another young agent, Aaron Pierce, chatting to him. Noticing the young female, Denvers nodded at him in dismissal. Aaron passed Emily and whispered something like 'I'll wait for you,' into her ear, before exiting the room.

"Ah, good morning, Agent Collins."

"Morning, Agent Denvers. What have you got for me?"

He scanned through the files before picking one out of the middle, knocking a couple of the others onto the floor. He handed it to her before bending to pick them up.

"You know, I think you've got the best assignment."

Curious, she opened it up to reveal 'AVENGERS INITIATIVE.'

"Wait, I thought they decided to be independent from SHIELD," she frowned.

"After they were briefed on the newest offensive against Earth, they agreed to have two agents helping the team. When the group aren't in action, you will be helping keep interested parties off their tail, sorting out any loose ends, etc. Obviously, Barton and Romanoff will be doing the same thing but when in action, they are technically classed as being part of the team. Before you ask, I don't know who the senior agent is. Your title will be Junior Liason Agent."

Emily nodded- it didn't sound all that bad.

"Any questions?"

She shook her head, "No, I think that's all."

"Good," he nodded, "Then you are dismissed. Goodbye, Collins, you were a great addition."

She smiled weakly, "Thanks Denvers."

Leaving the room, she headed over to where Aaron was stood, looking a little disenheartened. He straightened up and joined her walk.

"I'm gonna miss this team," he moaned, "I liked it. But I suppose it's not all bad- I'm working with the Tracker Team. What about you, who've you got?"

"Avengers Initative," she waved the file in his face.

"Oh God," he moaned enviously, "I am so, so, so jealous. I would kill to work with those guys! It's what everybody wants- either that or the UU. Have you seen Romanoff? She's hot."

Emily smiled.

"I'm sure she'd slice your hands off if you said that in her presence."

He nodded, "I'm sure she would."

The two chatted merrily as they went. Aaron was heading off to the plane area- he was heading to California in an hour to work at the base there. His stuff was packed and was apparently waiting for him. It wouldn't be permanent, but he would be going from possibly state to state. He was in the Domestic Tracker Team.

Soon enough, they found themselves very near Conference Room A. As they stopped outside of it, Aaron turned to face Emily.

"Well, this is where I say goodbye."

She shook her head, "I'm gonna miss you. It'll be strange not seeing you doing funny faces behind the others when they talk."

In their heads, they both recalled the time when Director Fury had come into talk to them all and Aaron was sat just to his left, where Emily and Natalie could see him. In the middle of a very serious rant, the young male had started squishing his cheeks out, popping out his eyes, sticking his tongue out and other things of that nature. Emily managed to maintain a straight face but Natalie had a laughing fit so uncontrollable that she was sent out to calm herself down. She was chewed out MASSIVELY by Fury later and Aaron had admittedly felt bad, but she managed to see the funny side.

She pulled him in a tight hug and felt sadness in the pit of her stomach. The two had gotten close (in a purely platonic way) over time.

"See ya, Collins."

"Bye, Pierce."

He nodded as he walked away. Not being able to resist temptation, she shouted after his retreating figure.

"Enjoy Cali!"

"I'll bring you back a t-shirt," he called over his shoulder.

Laughing for the last time and shaking her head, she took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

Everybody looked up as she crossed the threshold. Tony Stark was at the end, stood up and flicking through some kind of magazine. Barton and Natasha were on the right side of the table, both taking interest in the same file. On the left, Doctor Banner and Steve were seated. The latter looked slightly alarmed but not annoyed and rested on giving her a shy smile.

"Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton, Steve," she returned the smile, except hers was a lot more confident.

"Emily. Nice to see you again."

Stark wolf-whistled from the end, "Look at you, Capsicle- on first names with a girl! Look at you- you're growing up before my eyes!" He then wiped a pretend tear away.

"Mr. Stark," she spoke through gritted teeth, "Dr. Banner. Pleasure to meet you both. My name's Emily Collins. "

Feeling a sudden craving, she walked over to the coffee machine that was waiting patiently for her on the side.

"If you don't mind me asking, Agent Collins, what are you doing here?" asked Banner.

"I'm the new Junior Liason Agent tied with you lot," she replied as she busied herself with a cup, "And y'all can call me Emily."

She hummed quietly as she prepared her coffee.

"Any idea which other agent is on the team with us?" Natasha asked.

Emily was about to answer but stopped short as a familiar figure made himself visible...

... no one was expecting to see Phil Coulson ever again.

Emily's mouth dropped open and she very nearly released the cup from her hands, saving it at the last second, before placing it back on the counter. Her face was unreadable.

She wasn't the only one, however- the Avengers were also in various stages of shock. Barton and Natasha both looked mildly surprised, but they were probably hiding their emotions well. Steve looked as though he'd just seen a ghost whilst Tony's eyes had popped open. Banner just shook his head.

He looked so different. He was pale and gaunt, with dark shadows under his eyes as if he lacked sleep. His eyes were dull and lifeless, lacking the brightness they so remembered. Even the suit seemed a little too big for him, but the weight loss was not obvious.

Ignoring their stares, Coulson turned to his niece, who was still gaping at him.

"Hey kid," he opened his arms.

Without a word, she rushed forward and returned the hug. She felt as if she would burst if she went through anymore extreme emotions in the day.

"It's okay, they're related," Barton explained to the other men in the room, "She's his niece."

Seconds later, Emily came to her senses and released herself, giving her uncle a dope-slap on the back of the head. It wasn't exactly painful, but he still stepped back.

"You idiot- I thought you were dead!" she told him tearfully, "So did everybody else! Mom was a wreck at the funeral; I've never seen her upset."

Coulson shook his head, "Look, I'm really sorry, but it wasn't my call. I recovered pretty quickly from the stabbing but Fury sent me to Tahiti, told me to lay low for a while. 'Recovery,' was the first thing I thought. Then I realised-they needed to push the team together. Something to avenge. My job, plain and simple."

She felt torn between anger and relief and decided to go for a mixture of the two.

"Ok," she sighed, breaking out a smile, "But it doesn't mean I'm happy about it."

He rolled his eyes at her stubborn nature and moved to greetthe others, shaking them all warmly by the hand. When he reached Stark, the billionaire pulled him into a 'man-hug.' Coulson was admittedly a little scared, but accepted it all the same.

"Right," he clapped Stark on the shoulder, "Let's get down to business."

Placing some kind of chip in the table, he watched as several holographic images appeared in the middle of the room. Realising that she was getting away, Emily settled in a chair at the spare end of the table.

A 3D planet, small and blue, about the size of Mercury appeared before them. It turned on its on accord, with several paragpahs of information surrounding it.

"You are looking at Euton."

"It's smaller than I imagined," Banner added.

Coulson shrugged, cocking his head to the side "I suppose I imagine it larger too. Anyway, back to briefing. Euton is a small planet but is fierce both in reputation and in force. The army is moderate- all citizens are conscripted but only the best are allowed in. They are often quarrelsome but it is extremely rare that they ever declare war. We know that they heard of the victory against the Chitauri and wanted to prove that they're the top dog in the galaxy."

"Quick question," Steve raised a hand, "How do we know that they've declared war on us?"

"When they declare war, they send a sort of small box to the planet, several if they are attacking different areas," Emily explained, "Ten were found in various countries across the globe- England, China, Australia, Russia, Canada, France, Italy, India, Brazil and of course, the United States. Some were near major cities- Moscow and Sydney for example, but they were mostly dotted around, all around the compass points. The one in America was found in New Mexico."

"The problem is, we can't evacuate," Coulson continued, "We don't know where exactly they're gonna hit. I mean, you can't exactly move millions of people without disorder."

"We also have no idea when the attack will come. It could be tomorrow, it could be next month. All we know is that it's happening."

Stark opened his mouth but Banner beat him to the punch.

"So our job is what exactly?"

"Defense," Coulson addressed them all, "You're our first and best line of defense. When the time comes, you need to defend America."

"We're attempting contact with Thor in Asgard but we haven't found a way to open the portal yet," Emily twisted a brunette strand of hair in her fingers; "We have some of our very best scientists on the job and are hoping to soon find a way."

She shrugged.

"HA!"

Everybody turned to look at Stark, who was pointing a finger at Steve, a triumphant look upon his face.

"What's wrong with you now?" Natasha sighed. She'd put up with Stark annoying her for the past hour but felt as though she wouldn't last much longer.

"I saw that look," he laughed at a very confused Steve, "You were so checking Coulsonette out! You went all shy when you spoke to her earlier and now this. Finally noticed that girls exist, eh?"

Steve shook his head, trying to hide, "I wasn't."

"You so were."

"Shut it, Stark," Emily snapped, "And don't call me Coulsonette."

"Defending him, are we?" Stark wiggled his eyebrows, "How come you're on first name terms anyway?"

"We were both in the café a couple of days back and we got to talking. Got a comment about that?"

"Where exactly did that lead?"

Coulson, sensing that this talk wouldn't get any better, decided to (attempt) to diffuse the situation.

"Anyway, moving swiftly on," he glared at his niece, hoping that she would take the hint, "We need to get on with the real purpose of the meeting. Are we clear?"

He looked towards Stark, who merely nodded, leaning back, arms folded.

"Anyway, as Emily was saying..."

**Hope you enjoyed. Please review!**

**Thanks for reading and hope to see you on the next chapter xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMED**

**Chapter 3**

_BANG!_

Emily sat bolt upright, sweat dripping from her forehead, almost indistinguishable from the tears running down her face. The nightmares that had plagued her since London were getting worse and worse. Shaking, she reached for the glass of water and drank at it thirstily. She was starting to dread going to sleep and was cursing herself for taking an evening nap, even though she hadn't intended to.

Checking the time on her phone, she pulled herself together and stood up, almost losing her balance. Grabbing the side of the sofa just in time, she headed towards the kitchen.

She tried to assure herself that she was being silly but knew that she was lying. Emily felt as though she couldn't tell anybody about how horrible her slumber was. Who could she tell? If she'd known that Uncle Phil was alive, then she probably would have told him by now. As a SHIELD agent, he knew that sometimes the job came with trauma and as her uncle; he would know the right things to say. But now, she felt as if she was stripped of courage. She didn't want to tell her parents or brother, in case that she worried them. She also had many friends in New York, but they didn't all know the true nature of her work. The only person she could narrow it down to was best friend Claire, a florist who lived down the block. But she didn't even want to talk to her about it.

She glanced at the clock-six in the morning.

She must have fallen asleep on the couch as she watched TV the previous evening. She hadn't woken up during the night, which was pretty good, but her nightmares were still there.

The young woman wasn't exactly hungry and it was a while before she had to head to work. She didn't fancy starting a new book or going to the gym- she was too drained and there would probably be a training exercise at work. Visiting Claire wouldn't be a bad idea, as her friend would most likely be up early sorting out her shop. She'd drive there; get some breakfast afterwards and then go. Sounded good.

Dragging a brush through her hair, she grabbed a fresh towel from on top of the laundry basket and waltzed into the shower. After she'd neatly undressed, she reached for the radio sat on the windowsill and pressed it on. Stepping into the tub, she turned the nozzle and let the warm water pour over her. The shower gel cap flipped open and soon enough, the beautiful smell of jasmine filled the tiny room. As she cleaned herself, Emily began singing along to the radio.

"_Whisper words of wisdow, let it be," _she followed The Beatles. Yep, she was one of the millions of people who sung in the shower.

Eventually satisfied that she was clean, she turned the nozzle once again and the water turned off. Stepping out of the tub, she switched off the radio and began to dry herself roughly with the towel. Brushing her teeth, she listened as the song came to a close. Finished, she hummed to herself as she pulled her clothes on. Almost falling off the bed as she attempted to slip into her boots, she grabbed a bobble and pulled her hair up into a tight ponytail.

Checking she had everything, Emily juggled her door and car keys absentmindedly before successfully dropping them. Slipping out, she locked her apartment behind her and headed down the hallway.

As she passed the next place, she nodded at her neighbour Dennis, whom merely glared back at her. He was a very grumpy old man in his mix to late sixties, medium in height and very skinny, but still fairly intimidating to some. His wife Petunia was the complete opposite- a sweet, kind and warm lady who always had a smile to give and a story to share. Emily felt extremely sorry for her- Dennis was a demanding man who expected Petunia to wait on him hand and foot. They had two children- a son who lived in the city who never visited and a daughter who sometimes came, but not very much.

Skipping down the steps, she soon arrived in the car park, where her vehicle was waiting. Unlocking it, she checked that she had everything she needed in her utility belt. Definitely sorted, she turned on the ignition and set off.

The journey to 'Floral Flirtations' was minimal, as it was just down the street, but she did have to drive to the air base afterward, which would take a while. In then hit her that she could have just walked back to her home and realising this, she face-palmed. Leaving and locking the car, she jumped up onto the pavement and straight up to the shop. Wondering whether she should knock or not (the door would most likely be locked, even if Claire was in there); she opted to attempt to open the door.

To her surprise, the door was unlocked. Stepping in, she heard the little bell clang.

"Sorry," Claire called, "We're closed."

"Even for me?" asked Emily with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, hey sweetie," the dark blonde turned around and opened her arms to give her friend a hug. Emily met her and wrapped her arms around her friend. After a couple of seconds, she released her and followed her over to the counter.

Claire twisted her hair up into a messy bun, throwing a dark green apron on.

"How are things then?" she asked as she started to arrange a bouquet.

"They're…good," she smiled, not necessarily lying, "Work's getting a bit stressful but I still love it. Always will. Even if I collapse at the end of the day from the amount of work I've had to do."

Claire smirked, "Shouldn't have gotten such a demanding job."

The two had met on Emily's very first day in New York, when she'd stumbled across the shop whilst searching for a grocery store. The two had gotten to chatting and soon enough, they'd exchanged numbers for brunch. Flash forward several years and the two were very close and saw each other as their closest confidant. Even though they were best friends, Emily still couldn't tell her about the nightmares. Claire was such a sweet, kind, lovely person and she didn't want to burden her with the darkness of her world.

"Yeah, I should have become a florist like you."

"Well, I almost didn't," Claire recalled.

She'd studied Teaching for a year or two but realised that it wasn't her and left, much to the worry of her parents. Deciding to pursue her dream, she took her savings and got a loan, enabling her to open up her flower shop.

"So anyhow," Emily perched herself on the edge of a table, "How was your date with the hot delivery guy? Damian?"

"Dave," Claire corrected, "And it was awful."

"Why?"

"Well, it started off okay and the dinner was nice. But halfway through dessert, some woman came up to the table and started yelling her head off. Turns out he's married."

"NO!"

"I know," Claire grimaced, "Well, technically he's separated but him and his wife had decided to give the marriage another try. Apparently, that's the first he'd heard of it. She slapped him really hard across the face, caused a scene. When they were arguing, I rushed off and hailed a cab. He's tried calling me, texting me, the works."

"Has he come to the shop?"

"I was once step ahead of him," the blonde wagged a finger; "I called up the stock company and asked if they could send someone else. Did it without question!"

Emily shook her head, "Yet you still reject my offers to set you up. There are some seriously great guys at work. You would've loved Aaron before he got transferred out of town."

Claire shrugged as the clock struck seven. The blonde headed over to the door and flipped the sign over, so that people on the street would see it as being open. Seeing her friend's confused face, she started to explain.

"Some people come in early, before work. There's also the surprising amount of guys who forget anniversaries or their significant other's birthdays."

Emily nodded as her phone buzzed. It was a text from Coulson.

_Training today, bring kit if you haven't got it._

Sighing, she replied with a '_oh, great,' _before locking it and shoving it back in her belt.

"Who was that?"

"Work, got training today," she groaned, running a hand through her hair, "God, I bloody hate training. I mean, yeah, it's important, but it's so tiring and my legs ache for days afterwards."

"What does it involve?"

Emily had to think for a moment before remembering her last session, "Well, if it's the same before then we warm up straight away. Well, we'd do that anyway. We then do a few drills and a bit of running. Then circuit training- press ups, chin ups, the whole thing. We sometimes do weights and a bit of cardio, but not all the time. We spend the rest of it practicing fighting. First off, you do some with somebody who's of a similar build and frame to you, so usually we have the men fighting men and women fighting women. We then go on to randomness, because there's no guarantee you'll gave someone similar to you when fighting for real."

She groaned again as Claire began watering plants.

"And I thought gym class was bad."

"I liked gym class," Emily mused, "I could always climb the rope."

"I couldn't- no upper body strength," Claire indicated to her slim frame, "No muscles for me."

Before her friend could come up to a witty retort, the bell clanged and two people entered the shop. The first was a tall woman with red hair looking professional in a white skirt suit and heels, a handbag slung over her shoulder. The next was a man who looked very casual in a Black Sabbath shirt and jeans. A very familiar man…

"COULSONETTE!" Tony beamed.

Emily rolled her eyes, "Hi, Stark."

The woman, who she knew to be Pepper Potts, looked between them, amused. Claire, however, was torn between confusion and awe.

"You two know each other," she motioned between them.

"Aye, we do," Stark turned to Pepper, "This is Emily Collins, the agent on my team. Ya know, Steve's girlfriend."

At this, Claire looked interested.

"You dating someone I don't know about?" she raised an eyebrow.

"He's joking," Emily explained, "He is of the opinion that there is something between a guy called Steve from work and myself. It's not true, I assure you. Stark, this is my dear friend Claire and I am guessing this is the infamous Pepper Potts."

The redhead nodded and held out a hand, which Emily took, "Hello Miss. Collins, it's great to meet you. All I've heard the past two days is that you and Steve should get together."

"It's so great to meet you too. And you can call me Emily."

"Then you can call me Pepper," the older woman smiled.

The two looked at each other for the briefest of moments before she walked over to the counter, which Claire was now standing behind.

"Hello, I was wondering whether I can order several centrepieces for a ball that I am hosting next month. I looked through the catalogue and I was thinking of orchids."

"Orchids, hm? Great choice. Do you know exactly how many bunches are needed because if it's a lot more than we have, then I'll have to put out an order on stock."

As the two started talking flowers, Stark motioned for Emily to sit with him and the two crossed to the other side of the shop, were several white chairs were waiting. Pulling two out, the pair sat down and began to converse.

"You hear about the training?"

Stark shook his head and frowned, "What training?"

"Every few months, SHIELD states that all workers have to go through a mandatory training session, depending on their profession. All field agents go through an intense physical workout which includes fight training and circuits. Trust me, it's no picnic. They put several departments together."

"You know which departments we'll be with?"

Emily shrugged and pulled out her phone once again, unlocking it and beginning a message that she intended to send to Coulson. Not seconds later, after it was sent, a reply came.

'_Undercover Unit and Protection Detail Team,' _she read out.

"Know anyone from there?"

"A few from the UU but no-one from Protection," she pressed the button to lock her phone, "They have a reputation for being a bit…nasty."

She grimaced.

"So how are things with Capsicle?"

Emily threw her head back, "I was waiting for you to say that."

"So?" he pushed, "Any dates? Or more?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing the younger companion to prod him _very _hard in the ribs.

"Steve and I are just friends," she told him through gritted teeth, "Ever heard of that? It's common."

"So are friends with benefits."

Emily looked at him with such fury that if looks could kill, Stark would be convulsing in agony before drawing a final breath.

"Would you like me to show you why I am a highly trained SHIELD agent who has been a black belt since the age of ten?"

Stark merely laughed at her, "Sweetheart, I have a suit."

"And that scares me how?"

"And a Hulk."

"I'm sure Bruce would be on my side if we talked about the circumstances," Emily replied sweetly, "As would Steve. You're also forgetting that Phil Coulson is my uncle. He may not look like much, but he isn't one of the Director's most trusted agents for no reason."

"Pur-leese," Stark snorted, "I'm sure Coulson would be thrilled if his niece started dating Captain America. I'm pretty sure he'd be more fanboy than agent."

"Unfortunately, you are probably right."

"I know I am, sweetheart, but then again, I always am."

Emily couldn't even come up with a decent scathing remark as Pepper swept over, Claire hot on her heels.

"That's all, everything's ordered," Pepper told him, before turning to Emily, "It was a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure you'll be invited for dinner at some point soon."

"That sounds great, thank you," she smiled.

Stark stood up and yawned, walking to his girlfriend's side.

"See you at training then," he then looked over at Claire, "I'll keep you updated on the Steve/Emily situation."

Claire giggled, "Thank you."

With a wave from Tony and a goodbye from Pepper, the couple left the shop, the bell clattering behind them.

"Well, wasn't that fun?"

Emily didn't answer, barely supressing a grin as she went to hug her friend.

"I want to know all about this Steve fella," Claire smiled as she wrapped her arms around the brunette, "Skype me tonight."

"There's nothing to tell," she replied as she pushed open the door, "He's just a friend."

"Sure!" Claire called after her as she exited, "And I'm Oprah Winfrey!"

Emily shook her and smiled as she walked back down the street. Gosh, training was sure to be interesting.

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to explore Emily's thoughts and feelings. Next up will be the training session and along with some Emily/Steve interaction, there will be some banter, kick-ass action and other stuff.**

**Please review, it'll make me happy.**

**Thanks and hope to see you soon xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMED**

**Thanks to the reviewer Jo and the various followers and favourites.**

**Chapter 4**

"Good morning teams," the muscular dark woman looked over the room, sweeping her eyes across the people in various states of stretches, "My name is Alana Goodrige and I will be your trainer. I have been informed by my assistant that you all led a successful warm up. Is that so?"

There was a murmur of assent.

"Excellent," Goodridge nodded, "Quite excellent. Today will be different to your regular training regime. Instead of the usual exercises, today will be totally dedicated to fight training."

Whispers broke out between the groups. As Emily leaned in to listen to whatever the people next to her were saying, she noticed Kyle Jenner, a rookie from the Protection Detail Team looking her up and down with a kind of…snobbish look. Come to think of it, he had been silently assessing the ladies of the room, but not in a positive or even romantic manner.

"SILENCE!"

Many whipped round to see Director Fury standing at the door, Maria Hill at his side.

"There will be no gossiping during the training session," he strode forward several paces, looking quite as menacing as ever, "You will get on with it and will only talk when required to. Got it?"

There were a few quiet titters.

"I said, GOT IT?"

There were nods mingled with a few 'yes, Director's.'

"Miss Goodridge, I understand that you will report any agents that distrupt you or interrupt in any way. Same goes for you, Coulson; I want all eyes on this lot."

They both nodded before he swept out of the room, Hill hot on his heels.

When he left, Goodridge waited until she had everyone's undivided attention before she began.

"Ok, so we will be working in pairs today. You normally switch around but today you will be working with the same person to show what it is like during a prolonged battle. I will not put you into pairs but I would like your opponent to have a different skill set, different build and preferably a different gender. Strength vs. skill and the like."

Steve found himself shifting a little closer to Emily. She seemed to notice, but not particularly care, as her eyes only looked upon him for a couple of seconds at most.

"The first hour will be devoted to sparring," Alana told them, "After that, we will take a short break in which you may refresh and hydrate. We will discuss the next part when that finishes."

She stepped up to one of the mats that was littered across the room. They were all laid out at exactly the same distance, not a millimetre out.

"Now, I would like you to pair up and go find a mat."

Steve bent over and leveled his lips to Emily's ear, "Can I please go with you?"

She nodded and without a word, they found the nearest area, doing a brief scan to see who was paired with whom. Coulson stood across from Natalie and next to them, between Emily and Steve, were Barton and Natasha. No surprise, thought she, as she took notice of Banner and Stark. Even though Banner was technically in the science department, Fury had requested his presence. Jenner was stood with a girl whom Emily did not recognise.

"Ok everybody, for fifteen minutes; I want you to practice kicks. At most, you must graze them, but chose different places. It will come in handy when you partake in an actual fight later."

Goodridge nodded briefly and walked over to the nearest pair. Emily was extremely happy that it wasn't a proper fight, because being a Super Soldier; Steve could quite easy knock her into the oblivion. However, the last time she had properly fought was at the day of the event that had been traumatising her for weeks now.

"You know that I'm not actually going to hurt you, right?"

Emily snapped out of her trance to see Steve looking at her with the kindest expression.

"That's not what I'm worried about," she replied, stretching her arms above her head.

He didn't look convinced, "You know, you're the last person I'd want to hurt."

She looked up sharply and noticed a strange blush appear on his cheeks, as if he hadn't mean to say it yet it had come out anyway. He seemed to desperately want to deflect the comment, find some sort of excuse for it, but was not able to. She wanted to ask more, but knew that the situation was embarassing him so didn't say anything else.

"Want to start?"

Emily jumped and turned around to see Goodridge looking at them, hands on hips in an expectant manner.

"Oh, sorry," the brunette immediately apologised, "We were just…"

The sentence died on her lips and she looked to Steve, who nodded, indicating that he was ready to begin. At that, Emily jumped upright and split her legs apart and pushing them so they hit his mid-calf, but not so it would hurt. Landing with her feet far apart, she jumped back and snapped them back together. Steve went next and aimed a kick over her head, ensuring that she knew what he was doing and ducked first.

"Good start," Goodridge nodded appraisingly, "Now try something a little trickier." With a small smile, she left them, walking straight past Barton and Natasha, who were obviously the best in the room.

"You'd think that they'd let us practice on like a dummy or something so we wouldn't know each other's tactics," Steve wondered as Emily aimed at his mid-calf.

She shrugged, "I don't really know how SHIELD works. They certainly know what they're doing, so they must have reasons for doing it for this."

They paused briefly to watch Barton and Natasha do all sorts of impossible tricks, ignoring the grazing rule that Goodridge had set in place. Fortunately, none of them seemed too damaged.

"I don't know how she gets her leg up like that," Emily shook her head, "I did martial arts for several years and I don't even remember my instructor doing anything like that."

"How long did you do that for?"

"About four years, until I was ten, which was when I got my black belt in Karate. I wanted to stop because a) I'd already reached my goal and b) I took dance which took up a lot of time because I was getting better and doing it more and more."

Before she could start again, Goodridge appeared at her shoulder.

"You're holding back," she told Steve, "You can do some much more advanced work."

"I don't want to hurt her," he nodded at Emily.

"In a real fight, holding back costs lives."

"He's being a gentleman," Emily told her gently, "As per usual. Besides, I'd rather not get hurt yet. You did mention that we are only grazing our opponent at best."

"He won't hurt you as long as he exercises some caution," Goodridge shot back, "He's just holding back a bit. Try to work in some more advanced moves."

Without another word, she stepped away.

"Well," Emily chuckled, "Ready to get advanced?"

Steve laughed at the expression on her face as he readied himself.

-SPARKS AND SPIES-

It was many hours and several breaks later when Goodridge told them to stop for the last time. Practically everybody was pooped- Bruce was lying on the ground, panting heavily with Stark doing the same thing beside him. Coulson was back to back with Natalie, attempting to get his breath back. Emily was sat on the mat, her head back and eye closed. Even Barton seemed a little tired, but nowhere as much as everyone else. The only people who were fine were Natasha and Steve who both stood up, waiting for everyone else. Considering Steve was the epitome of the peak human physique and Natasha had been through much worse, this was not surprising.

"Alright everybody!" she called, clapping her hands, "Last break, I'll let you have twenty minutes. Go to the toilet; get some more water, whatever."

Steve turned on his heel, grabbing his drink bottle as well as Emily's. He walked back over, offering her a hand. She smiled and accepted and he helped her up without even the slightest effort.

"Thanks by the way," she told him as she sipped her drink thirstily.

"You were really great in the fight," he told her earnestly, "I know you don't think you were, but you did hold your own pretty well. People would be wrong to underestimate you."

She smiled brightly at him, "Thanks, I guess. But you and I both knew that there was no way I was going to beat you."

He shrugged as they both left the room.

"I'm going to the toilet, I'll see you in a minute," she headed down the corridor and into the ladies' room, where several others were gathered. Natalie looked over her shoulder and smiled as she entered.

"Heya, Em."

"Hello Nat," she replied as she walked into a cubicle.

After doing her business, she walked over to the sink and began washing her hands.

"That Steve Rogers is really cute," a cute blonde next to her squealed as she began to apply lipgloss, "I mean seriously, I would tap that."

"Oh yeah," the redhead beside the speaker nodded, "He's such a gentleman too. You know how most guys are all push and shove? Well, I saw him opening the door for quite a lot of the girls. I actually followed him so he'd do it for me. Ah, so polite."

Emily tried to feign indifference, but couldn't escape the sinking feeling in her stomach. Why was she feeling a bit annoyed? She'd only known the man for a few days.

"I wonder if he's seeing anyone. He is a private person, I wouldn't know. Then again, I've never actually spoken to him before."

That familiar jealousy spread in her veins.

"You work with him, don't you, Agent Collins?" asked the blonde whom Emily could not place, "Has he mentioned anything about a girlfriend? If he has, I'd really like to know."

She was almost startled as her name was mentioned. Regaining herself, she answered with, "No, he hasn't said anything."

"Relax, Agent Greene, they've only known each other for a few days," an older woman flashed Emily a kind smile.

"Well she must know him kind of well," Greene added, not deterred, "They were partners in today's session. Did you ask him or did he ask you?"

"He asked me," Emily replied through gritted teeth, understanding where this was going.

"Do you believe there to be any reason for that?"

"Maybe he wanted someone he knew," she shot back, readily losing her patience, "I don't really know. We didn't discuss it."

Greene looked as though she wanted to say something back, but the older agent who'd stopped her before shot her another warning glance. Wanting to avoid confrontation, she whispered a goodbye to Natalie and gave an appreciative nod to the older agent before stalking out.

She almost collided with somebody, not looking where she was going.

"Oh God, sorry, Barton," she apologised as he held her steady.

"It's alright;" he walked into step with her, "You look as though you'd like to shoot somebody."

She waved a hand, "Ah, it's nothing."

He didn't say anymore as they entered back into the training room. Several people were sat around Alana, who was standing on a step up block. None of them paid attention as the archer and the younger agent walked over. Barton went over to sit next to Natasha, who immediately whispered something in his ear, making him grin. Emily elected to sit between Bruce and Steve. Not long later, Coulson went and sat behind her.

"Stark's been annoying me about the two of you," he told her.

She groaned.

"I'm getting pretty sick of him," Emily replied, "Do you reckon I will be fired if I punch him?"

Coulson chuckled, "Probably not but I'd imagine that Fury would not be too pleased."

She shrugged, "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

He shook his head at her and said no more as said billionaire went and placed himself next to them, heavily engrossed in conversation with Natalie. Emily felt their eyes rake over several times but elected to ignore it.

After the room started to fill, Alana did a quick head count. After the last two people entered, she began.

"Ok, I lied; you won't be fighting your partners anymore. I'm going to pair up different people and get them to practice on each other. I did the training session in a way that would get you slightly prepared, but would not give you an advantage."

There was an outbreak of complaining from the younger members. Those with more experience, such as Coulson, did not even bat an eyelash.

"Not everybody will be fighting, as I won't get a chance to go round everyone, nor will the opportunity arrise for everybody to perform. I will therefore be selecting at random."

She consulted her sheet.

"Can I have a Phillip Coulson and Jacob Harton please?"

There was a smattering of applause as Harton (a member of the Protection unit who was several years older than Emily) and Coulson both stood up and walked over to the map. She had no reason to dislike Harton, owing to the fact she did not know him, but obviously wanted her uncle to win.

They shook hands as Alana stepped back.

"On my whistle, you shall begin."

After several seconds ticked by, the whistle sounded and they started.

Emily watched for several minutes as the two kicked and hit. Whilst Harton was pretty good, Coulson clearly had the upper hand and it was no surprise when his opponent ended up lying on the ground, looking a little tired but overall, not too battered. Uncle Phil, being the polite man he was, helped him get to his feet before clapping him on the back and congratulating him. There was quite a lot of applause for him, even though some of it was just polite. Stark made sure to whistle.

"Good job, you two," Alana smiled, "Great tactics from both of you, you've really come away with a lot from this lesson."

Several more names were read. Banner and Stark went against each other, reasonably well-matched, but the latter came out on top, just. Natasha went up against Greene, who was flattened within the space of ten seconds.

"Alright everybody, final pair," she scanned her list once again, "And I'll have Kyle Jenner and Emily Collins, please."

Emily hopped to her feet and waited patiently on the mat as Kyle, who was sat on the back, went to meet her. When he arrived, they shook hands like their predecessors.

He looked at her in a superior sort of way, as if he believed him to be better than her. He didn't even need to say anything to betray overconfidence. Under normal circumstances, Emily would already be getting angry, as she accepted that one of her flaws was her quick-fire temper. However, she kept it bottled in.

Seconds later, the whistle sounded and she was snapped out of her thoughts. It was lucky that she started paying attention then as she narrowly avoided a kick to the side.

Jumping backwards, she caught on of his punches and twisted his arm, but no hard enough to cause any real hurt. He pushed her towards the ground but her days of gymnastics caught back up with her and she steadied herself with her arms behind her, aiming a rather good kick into his chest. He staggered backwards but managed to keep balance, a look of fury upon his face. Jenner grabbed stupidly, until he found a grip on her ponytail. Wincing in pain, she grabbed his arm and pulled it so hard that he fell to the floor.

She wasn't laughing for long when Jenner got up and performed an admittedly well-aimed roundhouse kick. She fell back and caught herself in a crab position, his foot narrowly avoiding her face.

Back up, she dodged and caught many punches but Jenner was getting better with each one and eventually caught her into the side of the neck.

Swearing under her breath, she decided that she wasn't going to be so nice. Bending down neatly, she sprung up and headbutted him right in the chest. He groaned but once again held himself steady. Annoyed, Emily jerked her knee and smacked the side of her leg into his.

'_Gosh, this guy's not giving up,' _she thought.

Reaching forward, she decided to try something new. She hooked her foot around his ankle and he tripped, flailing as he fell forward. For someone who was fairly petite, Emily had a lot of force. Lying on the ground, he attempted to trip her but failed when she avoided it with a neat tumble. Panting, he forced himself back up once again, but Emily was ready for him. She elbowed him hard in the back, kicking the back of his knees and this time when he fell, it was with full force. He rolled on his back and put his hands up, finally admitting defeat.

There was a huge amount of applause and cheers. Emily helped him to his feet.

"That was really good," she smiled, "You obviously worked really hard."

He gave her a short, rude glare before brushing past, heading towards his co-workers. Annoyed, she smiled at Alana before dropping herself between Coulson and Bruce.

"Alright everybody, that's it. Well done to everybody- well, nearly everybody," her eyes landed on certain people, "You are all dismissed. I don't think there will be any reports to Director Fury."

Everybody shuffled around. Coulson gave Emily a quick hug before he dashed up to catch up with someone.

"Want some help?" Steve appeared in front of her.

"Please," she groaned, holding out a hand.

He pulled her up once again, with little to no effort. Grabbing her bag, she pulled it over her shoulder and followed him out of the door.

"You really did that guy in," Steve commented as they walked down the corridor together, "He seemed to have a case of sour grapes."

She nodded, grimacing, "Well, serves him right for pulling my hair. That hurt! I don't think that's fair in any fight, let alone a practice one."

He nodded in agreement. Inside his head, he was wondering whether he should ask her to coffee the following day. Not like a date, just as friends.

"Well, I'll guess I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled, pulling her hair out of the tight ponytail, her brunette curls cascading down.

"Yeah, uh bye."

"Bye," she smiled as she walked away.

Steve frowned as she turned to corridor, her hair bouncing behind her.

Maybe another time then.

**Hey, it's me. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Next time: the gang goes to laser tag and Emily is determined to beat Stark soundly.**

**Hope to see you again soon xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMED**

**Chapter 5**

The receptionist barely spared Emily a glance as she entered into the laser tag building. The others were already waiting for her.

"We've decided groups."

Emily didn't really care who she got put up with, as long as she was against Stark. She was absoloutely determined to beat him in something, considering how much he irritated her and how much she wished to give him something that he couldn't laugh about.

"Ok, great, who am I with?"

"You're with Bruce and me," Steve was stood in the corner, hands in his pockets.

She nodded with satisfaction as a small, bald man approached. He looked as though he wished to be anywhere but there- very bored, uncaring. He made a motion for them to follow and they did so diligently, into a small locker room.

"Please dispense any shoes, bags and any other accessories into the lockers. It is up to you whether you keep your socks on or not."

After everything was done, they were ushered into a small room surrounded by jackets. Settled into their groups, they were instucted to put on the jackets with the small, dark guns connected to them. As soon as they were on, Stark started to complain about how they made his face looked washed out.

"Alright, the rules are simple," the man clapped his hands together, "Both teams have a base on the other side of the arena. If you have been shot several times and are running low, you must get back to base in order to recharge. You can also gather there if you need to discuss tactics, but be warned, the other team can get in. There are many obstacles including, but not limited to, slides and rope swings. If you need anything, you'll find me outside a door marked 'STAFF.' You'll only probably need me if there is something wrong with your gun. Once we go up the stairs, you'll be sent into your base and then you go from there. The winners are the group who manage to get in the most successful shots at both human and the targets which are littered around the area, which are coloured coded."

Checking to see everybody had everything sorted, he went through them all, unlocking some sort of device that enabled their packs to work.

"Ok, everybody, up the stairs. Blue Team, go to the left and it's right for the Red Team. Go straight ahead and there's a door. In it is the base."

He nodded and the six exited. As Emily strode up the steps, she found that Stark was next to her.

"Fancy making this interesting, Coulsonette?"

She looked curious, "How so?"

"$100 to you if your team wins and the same amount to me if mine wins."

The moral part of her tried to warn her against this but $100 would buy her some shoes she liked but did not wish to splurge on. There was also the fact that Stark had both Barton and Natasha on his team, who both happened to be crack shots.

She held a hand out.

"You have yourself a deal," she told him as he shook her hand. Taking off, he rushed to the right to follow the rest of his team.

She, Steve and Banner eventually arrived in the small base room. It was nothing really- just a small, sqare room with benches attached to it.

"Ok," the Super Soldier was the first to sit down, "What's the plan of action?"

"We need to make sure we stay together as much as possible," Banner was next to be seated, "Natasha and Barton will probably be spread out and we're better at withstanding an attack if we're all together. If one of us gets separated, try not to move around too much, as we'll get lost if we move around in circles."

Emily nodded in agreement, "If you are on your own and encounter someone from the other team, get a few shots in. If they call for back up, bolt, unless you're feeling brave or hear someone from our team coming. Also, if you find any good hiding spots, make sure everyone on the team knows so they have a good place to stay protected if they are alone."

"Be aware that a lot of places have various angles that shots can be come from, so cover yourself well," Steve added.

Emily would have found this hilarious under normal circumstances, but considering she needed to beat Stark, she wanted to have the edge.

"We ready?"

The three jumped up and headed over to the small door that was connecting the room to the inside complex. Steve went first, with Emily in the middle and Banner heading up the rear.

"There's a tiny little bit of space underneath that slope," Emily pointed it out, "It's pretty tight though, I don't think any of us could fit. Maybe be if I squeazed."

"That's a good place," Banner commented, "If you get separated and are near here, it's a great place to hide as it's the only way to the base. That way if either of us comes past, you can join up again."

The first obstacle they approached was a rope swing. Emily went first, landing perfectly and throwing it back to the other side. The men followed in a similar manner but as soon as they reached the other end, voices were heard.

Steve immediately sprung into military action. Silently, he indicated that Banner stand on one side of the wall with himself and Emily on the other.

It seemed as though the only person there was Stark. Nodding at everyone, Steve led the charge.

Banner fired the first shot and with surprising accuracy, it hit his pack. The billionaire opened his mouth to yell but Emily jumped in front of him and managed to get several more in. Steve figured that he would be best to go from an angle, so stood in the corner, nearest to an archway.

"I'M BEING SHOT!" Stark screamed as he clawed the floor, "SOMEBODY? ANYBODY?"

"You're such a drama queen," Emily laughed as she fired.

However, the laughter stopped immediately as they caught wind of Barton and/or Natasha running in their direction. Steve indicated towards the exit next to him and without a word, ran through it. Pausing, the female agent followed. However, Banner realised that he had to stop the others from getting to the pair and backed against another archway, firing.

It took the two of them a short while to realise that the doctor wasn't with them.

"Guess he thought it would be best to avoid the plan," Emily panted as they reached a square hole above their heads, "And how the hell are we going to get up there?" She pointed up to it.

"I can get up there. When I do, I'll pull you up. How does that sound?"

She nodded in agreement and not even waiting, Steve grabbed the edge and without breaking so much as a sweat, he pulled himself up until his elbow leveled, before shimmying forward. Once he was safely up, he rotated and held his hands out. She gripped them and felt herself go lightly upwards. Holding her legs out, she let him pull her into a sitting position.

"I saw it earlier, there's a solid bridge not far from here. If we sit there and wait, we could get a few far shots in."

"Does it have a good escape route?"

"Should do, yes," Steve began to lead her, "I think there's a couple of slides, but I can't be sure if it goes from there or it a little more eastward."

"You seem to have got this place down well. I mean, you've probably barely looked at the area, yet you've already got it down."

"I'm a militay man, Emily, it's what I do," he responded, "Sometimes, it reminds me of old times."

He looked saddened as he climbed up the ladder.

"You miss it, don't you?" she took a stab in the dark as they walked down the corridor, "The 40's? Being in a place where you know it all, where nothing is new. Well, nearly nothing…"

"Yes, I do. Things are different nowadays. Phones are portable; music's available at the touch of the button. It's not just the technology. People have changed, moved on, become more cynical."

She didn't really know how to respond to that, but decided to try as she followed him up.

"I can't even imagine it, being pulled out of this time and shoved into another. Not knowing, lost, scared even. But you've managed to do it, get by. You may not know who The Backstreet Boys are or how many Call of Duty games there are, but you can walk the streets knowing that you can live another day just fine. How many people could say that if they were pushed seventy years in the future?"

He looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"You really believe in me that much?"

"More people believe in you than you think, Cap," she swung across on a rope, "Even Stark, however hard that may be to believe."

He swung across after her and when he reached the other side; he gave her the most genuine smile he had ever given anyone.

"Thanks, that means a lot."

She shrugged as the two walked in silence to the bridge and sat down, awaiting further actions. Emily glanced behind her, and then jumped up sharply.

"What is it?"

"Barton and Natasha are across there. Wanna shoot?"

He nodded and went up next to her, aiming his gun inbetween the netting. The two looked at each other before firing. Their two opponents didn't even bat an eyelash as they shot back, their lasers hitting their target without even a single mistake. Emily and Steve went on their knees as they shot back furiously, not giving up. Unfortunately for them, the others had realised that they were not from each other and under heavy fire, they rushed in their direction.

"Crap," Emily rushed to her feet, "They're onto us. We need to regroup. Find Bruce, and regroup."

The two ducked and dived, crashing along the corridors until they approached a wide, dark slide.

"Is there enough room for both of us?" asked Steve, concerned.

"No time to find out," Emily replied as she grabbed his hand and forced him down.

The slide was extremely slippery and they therefore the two slid down quickly. Whilst Steve was (mostly) unfazed, Emily was screaming and giggling with what could be best described as childish glee, her long hair flying out behind her. For some reason, it amused her companion greatly.

After what seemed like a few seconds, the two crash- landed in a large ball pit.

Steve stopped short but Emily flew forward, her arms out like a plane and landed in a perfect sitting position.

She turned to him, "WE HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN!"

He merely chuckled as they both attempted to wade through the pit, finally reaching the edge. Eventually clambering out, they were stopped by a sudden whisper.

"Guys, it's me."

They both signed in relief as Banner emerged from a space in the wall, his hand firmly on the gun.

"What the hell happened to you?" Emily asked as the three walked along, "Last thing we knew, you were completely on the other side of the room, firing at Stark on your own."

"You needed a distraction and I wanted to get Stark on his own, so I pulled him away so that you could focus on getting in some targets. Then I planned to wait until I found you again. Sorry I disregarded the plan, but I just felt it was right."

He shrugged.

"I understand," Steve climbed up a ladder, "Sometimes you gotta ignore orders, but let's just try and stick together. It is a good strategy."

Emily looked at him oddly as they entered another large room filled with large, squishy cubes and pillars. As they attempted to proceed towards the target that they knew was down to a chamber, but were stopped short when three familiar figures walked in.

They all stood, rooted to the spot, frozen, looking at each other.

Banner was broken out of his trance when Natasha shot at the pack on his chest. It was at that point when Stark screamed "DEATH TO THE BLUE TEAM!"

Barton jump-fell to the side and ducked behind a soft pillar, shooting his targets with perfect ease, wihout even pausing to stop. Natasha followed suit, whilst Stark crouched behind one of the cubes. Bruce positioned himself between a pillar and a cube with Emily and Steve near to the corners.

"Pick your targets," Natasha yelled and Emily felt Barton's intelligent eyes fall onto her. She silently swore as she concealed herself slightly (not that it impared his sharp eyesight). As she fought to keep herself safe, she noticed a small arch that would allow her to shoot well without being too damaged. Pausing to prepare, she jumped up and shot across the room at a speed that she thought impossible, even for an extraordinarily fast runner such as herself. Crouching down, she bent her arms out slightly and fired, hitting her three opponents at random intervals.

The firing went on for what seemed like ages. Each of them moved around at least once in hopes of getting a better shot, with Stark rushing around like a headless chicken, completely forgetting himself as he got caught in the crossfire, intefering with both teams' game plans.

"FOR GOD SAKE, STARK JUST STAND SOMEWHERE!" Emily ended up yelling, "YOU ARE REALLY GETTING ON EVERYBODY'S NERVES!"

He stopped short and dived quickly to avoid a shot from Steve before getting back to his feet and advancing towards the young woman, who had quite stupidly chosen to sit against a corner.

"Crap," she muttered, realising she had no escape route.

Just as she thought she was finally a gonner, she heard the sound of a laser shooting and Stark whipped around, desperately searching for the source.

She smirked as she noticed that it was Steve who'd helped her out. She couldn't mouth a thank-you, however, as said saviour was busy battling the billionaire. Realising that she was still in the corner, she dashed once again to the other side of the room, ignoring the two shots to the pack that she'd achieved from Barton and his excellent aim. She then began shooting at Natasha, who immediately fired back.

Seconds later, a loud horn sound appeared from nowhere, causing several of them to jump.

"That is the end of the game," the same bored voice called from the announcer, "If you make your way to the east, you'll find the exit. Your guns are now disabled."

The packs all gave off a little noise as they moved from their respective positions and headed towards the exit, led by Banner, who had passed it earlier.

"That was some fast running, Emily. You're pretty good."

She was a little surprised that Barton was speaking directly to her. They'd only spoken on a non-professional level on a handful of occasions and he mainly called her 'Agent Collins.' The last time was a few days ago, which was when she told him that he could use her first day when speaking to her.

"Er, thanks. I was part of the Field and Track and Cross Country teams at Yale."

More silence.

"I'm so looking forward to finding out who the winner is," Stark smiled.

"Why, it's just a game?"

"Cos Coulsonette owes me one hundred big ones if we win."

They all turned to look at her, incredulous.

She just shrugged back, non-plussed.

It seemed that the exit was not too far from their current position and soon enough, they each went through the door which led to the sight of the bald man waiting impatiently, smoking a cigarette. He quickly stubbed it out once they walked in, the fumes still stale and lingering in the air.

"Ok, sit down," he pointed to a bench that looked to be on the verge of breaking.

As they did so, he started tapping on a computer which seemed to be electronically linked to the centre.

"I have the results."

Stark and Emily both looked at each other intently, hoping that they would be the one to break out into smiles.

"The winners were…"

**Ok, so I hated this chapter. I don't think it was one of my best, but it suited its purpose. The next one will actually focus on the incoming invasion, which I have been neglecting.**

**I went to see Thor: Dark World yesterday. It was excellent and had a pretty good twist, which I obviously won't reveal. There's a scene with Loki and Thor which is really funny and once again, it has a cameo from Stan Lee. For obvious reasons, stay after the credits.**

**Please review, it would mean a lot. No flames please.**

**Thanks for reading xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMED **

**Chapter 6**

"Passengers, we will soon be landing in New Mexico. Please put on your seatbelts as we begin our descent."

Emily almost fell over on her way to her seat, before collapsing into it, putting her belt into place. The journey had been pretty uneventful. Next to her, Steve has been reading but they'd engaged in conversation for most of the way. She also had a book in front of her, but she'd neglected it quite a bit. Coulson was a couple of seats in front and he'd been on his laptop. Across the row were Barton and Natasha, who'd sat in silence for the entire journey. A couple down from them were Stark and Banner. Stark had been playing Angry Birds for the entire time, his yells of annoyance annoying them all to the point where the other scientist when and sat as far away as possible in order to finish his book.

"I thought this was never end," she threw her head back on the headrest.

Over the past couple of days, the pair had formed some sort of friendship. Neither knew how it happened, but it just had.

"Neither did I," Steve replied, "I was actually contemplating throwing Stark out of one of the emergency exits, along with that damn game of his."

"Wouldn't blame you, to be honest. He could easily replace it."

Her ears began to pop as the plane began to land on the air strip at the small SHIELD base. She'd heard a rumour that you were supposed to suck on a hard boiled sweet during take off and landing, but the packet she had must have dropped out of her pocket before she got on. After a short time, the seatbelt sign clicked.

"You may now take off your seatbelts and exit the plane. Please remember your overhead luggage and put any litter in the bin."

Steve took off the belt and followed Emily out of the seats, getting her bag for her. For one night, it was quite heavy but he remembered Natasha telling him that most girls had never heard of 'packing lightly,' and he believed that she was in the majority.

They all exited the plane and were greeted by a stony faced, medium-sized agent with glasses and not much hair along with a taller, younger and more handsome man.

"Jasper Sitwell," Coulson pulled out a hand, "Nice to see you again."

"You too, Coulson," the bespectacled agent smiled, "This is my associate, Agent Ward."

The tall guy nodded at them.

"Well, I guess I should introduce my team," he indicated to them all, "Meet Agents Collins, Barton, Romanoff, Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner. The latter two will be assisting the researchers on the cube using their technical and scientific knowledge."

Sitwell gave what looked to be a small smile before leading them into the building. The sun was hot and humid in the desert, but the team was not prepared and was sweating in their SHIELD jumpsuits and other articles of clothing. Most of them dearly hoped that there was good air con in the facility. As Ward walked ahead, in front, with Coulson and Sitwell, Emily doubled-back to walk into step with Natasha.

"He's cute," she whispered, "You should talk to him."

The red-head glared at her, "Really, Collins? If you're so into him, why don't you ask him out?"

For some reason, Steve's stomach lurched at the thought. Emily was pretty, fun and intelligent, able to get any guy. He should be happy for her, so why did he feel such a sense of dread?

"Not my type," she shrugged as they walked through a door.

The base was in a flurry of activity, not a corridor was encountered without personnel. None of them seemed to be interested in stopping and talking, all hurrying and annoyed if somebody stopped or interfered with them. After a small while, they were led into a large room with men and women in white lab coats scurrying around.

In the middle was a large, raised table with a silver cube. Several of the coats were using long, thin rods to touch it, but were not yet heeding any results. They seemed to be in the observation area, as there was a large glass border shielding them from the scientists, like in an ice hockey rink. Several agents were dotted around, scribbling on clipboards.

"So this is the cube, huh?"

Ward nodded, speaking for the first time, "We've got nothing. Zit, nada. We've got scientists around the globe, people from every country working on every cube."

Just as he finished, two more coats scuttled over. The first was a small, thin guy who could not be older than his early twenties with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The next was a woman who seemed to be his age with soft brown eyes and hair, which was pulled up into a messy bun. They both looked excited.

Sitwell pointed to the both of them, introducing them as Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons.

"What you got for me, FitzSimmons?"

"Well," the boy had a very noticable Scottish accent, "We've discovered that the metal that it is made of definitely not of this Earth. It has been scanned, checked, everything but nothing has been found. Even though we did have a limited sample…" He trailed off.

"Which had led us to believe that the metal may be exclusive to Euton," Simmons continued in a soft English accent, "Or at least that corner of the galaxy."

"Have you tried a Nerva Terrota scanner? I've been told that the SHIELD ones have a very high accuray rate," piped up Bruce.

Simmons nodded, "It was no use, the scanner did not even work."

Without even realising, Emily put her hand up slightly. The boy turned to her.

"Yes?"

"What the hell is that Nerva thingy? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one thinking that."

"It just helps us understand metals, far too complicated to explain. Well, I could, but it would take too long and no offense, but it would most likely confuse you, especially if you didn't know what it was in the first place."

She looked more confused than ever but said no more.

"Show Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark to the lab," Ward instructed them, "They'll be assisting you in your research. The rest of you will be coming with us to a briefing."

The two men said their goodbyes as they followed their younger fellows down the passage before disappearing into a door to the right. Sitwell then began to walk in the same direction, indicating that the other agents do the same. Instead of going to the right, however, they continued straight down until a door required access using an eye scanner. The older agent stooped down and waited until it clicked, allowing them to pass through.

The corridors were long and narrow, grey in colour with no windows, trapping in the gruelling heat. Hidden cameras were surely whizzing around, watching their every move, tracking and analysing their sweating faces. Emily found that she had nothing to fan herself with and that her jumpsuit on, she cursed that she had to wear it at all SHIELD facilities when on-duty. Her mind wandered to the t-shirt and shorts that were currently folded in her bag as she walked into another small, dark room with a large, round table in the middle. Two tiny windows were open right at the top, so at least there was some coollness.

At the table sat the two people. The first was a pretty girl with long, wavy hair who looked to be around her age who was seated to the left of Agent Ward, who had sat down immediately. A few seats down was a woman whom she recognised as Melinda May, an absolute legend at the agency who was nicknamed by some as 'The Cavalry.' Emily had seen her in action in some old footage and definitely believed that she deserved the nickname.

"Meet Skye, our newest recruit," Sitwell indicated the girl, "And Agent Melinda May."

"Nice to see you again, May," Coulson nodded at her, "But I thought you'd decided against going back on the field."

"You too, Coulson," she replied with a small smile, "I am taking a temporary return."

"I think introductions are in order," Sitwell clapped his hands together, "This is Agent Phil Coulson, Senior Liason Agent and some of his team, Agents Emily Collins, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff along with Captain Steve Rogers."

They all took a seat, Emily choosing to go between Steve and her uncle. Barton and Natasha were obviously together.

"Before we begin, does anybody have any questions?"

Skye put her hand up.

"Yes?"

"When do we get to meet Tony Stark?" she asked excitedly. Next to her, Ward rolled his eyes and checked his watch, as if he heard this everyday.

"Why would you want to?" asked Emily, scornfully, "He's a right d-"

She stopped when Coulson sent her a glare, looking down at her hands. Sitwell placed some kind of device in the centre of the table, pressing a few buttons before a hologram appeared in the air, displaying a 3D model of the cube.

"We've got nothing on the cube. The closest to the breakthrough are probably the Chinese, but the English are not too far off either. The researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology have a metal sample that they think may match, but they have to get it cleared to travel, as it was previously thought to be dangerous."

He clicked again and a 7 by 7cm square appeared, circling slowly. It was the brighest silver ever seen, perfectly polished with an almost glittering quality.

"It was found in the Liaoning region of the North-East by a farmer several months ago. The sample was flashing randomly and because of this, he contacted the police who then got hold of some SHIELD agents who were in the area. Early testing resulted in the hospitalisation of several people and even after some safe tests were conducted, it was contained. We learnt not to touch it without protection. It only affects bare skin."

Some footage was pulled up, showing some scientists picking it up with bare hands. There was a small rumble and the metal fizzed, sending sparks. The coats flew back, nursing some terrible burns that had suddenly sprouted on their bodies. There were cries of pain as the men nursed their hands before it faded to black, going back to the 3D cube.

"How come they touched it without the adequete protection?" Barton wondered.

Ward shrugged, "We don't know how that group works but they were penalised as it is against facility policy to not cover hands when handling substances."

The rest of the meeting dragged on and even though Emily attempted to be present and alert, it was a bit difficult to be. Yes, the meeting was important but they could've made sure that it wasn't just the older agents talking all the time. Halfway through, the girl called Skye had fallen asleep on the files and had to be shaken awake by a very unimpressed Agent Ward and a half-amused Coulson. It wouldn't have been quite as hilarious if she hadn't have started talking about Ward's underwear. It was at that point when Emily was struggling not to burst out laughing and had only managed when she realised the consequences of her action. It was clearly amusing Steve and even Barton gave what looked a little like a smile. Sitwell and Agent Blake, who had arrived a short while into the meeting, had sent her out in disgrace but she had eventually come back in, this time a lot more serious. Realising it was the best thing to do, Skye didn't speak until spoken to for the rest of the time and mostly attempted to look away from Ward, who was as embarassed as she was. It was weird seeing him unruffled, especially considering that he seemed to be a serious agent.

Eventually, Blake called them to a stop.

"Ok, you can all go. Your bags will be waiting for you in your quarters; Agent Ward will show you to them."

Said agent looked extremely annoyed at his task but did not grumble, choosing to maintain a certain amount of professionalism. However, he looked even more annoyed when Skye was tasked to join him. He led the way, with Coulson and Steve in step with him. Barton and Natasha were a little behind, taking in whispers, leaving Emily and Skye to walk at the back.

"That was pretty embarassing, huh?" the new recruit stated as they walked down the corridors.

"Actually, it was pretty funny," Emily raised a smile, "Are you and Agent Ward a thing, then?"

Skye shook her head furiously, "Oh no, it's strictly professional. He's a brilliant agent but being social isn't exactly his forte. Seems to be no-one at SHIELD's forte, actually."

Emily could see where she was coming from. Whilst most people were fairly nice, most took a professional stand, most especially older agents like Blake.

"FitzSimmons are quite nice," she continued, "They've been friendly, so at least I have someone to talk to. Sitwell's ok, I guess, but he's still so…agent-y. Don't even get me started on May, she scares me- just appears from nowhere, all silent and mysterious. I'm beginning to think that she's not of this earth."

The agent chuckled.

"What's it like, being an agent?" Skye suddenly asked, "You know, being out in the field, having adventures and stuff, exciting, right?"

Emily pulled her thoughts together before speaking.

"When you join SHIELD, there's this wide-eyed idealism. You think that's it going around and saving the world, jetting off to exotic places and shooting bad guys. You come in, all shiny-eyed and excited. It's then you learn that it's not like in the movies. They don't show the truth of it all. They train you to dodge bullets and fight your way out of a corner, but they don't train you to manage. That's why the training's so tough, because a lot of people aren't up for the job. There's a lot of responsibility behind it all. People come in, expecting that they'll be okay seeing enemies dying. Hell, they think they'll be ok seeing friends being buried six feet under. It's not easy at all. I learnt the hard way."

She broke off, feeling bitter.

"Wow," Skye looked shocked, "No one's ever been that direct."

Emily shrugged, "Well, just remember one thing. Not everything has a happy ending. Never forget that. If you remember one piece of advice, let it be that."

"You know from experience?"

"Yes," she replied in a tone that gave no invitation for a follow-up. Even if Skye wanted to ask anymore, she would not have had the opportunity as they had arrived at a halt.

"Captain Rogers, this is your room," Ward stated, "Agent Collins, you will be next door. Dinner's at six, we'll send an agent to escort you both. You may do whatever is at your leisure so long as you keep within the restrictions. Barton and Romanoff, if you'll follow me."

He led the two other agents and Skye away, the latter giving Emily a goodbye wave. She hadn't even noticed that Uncle Phil wasn't with the party anymore.

"I can't believe it's only four," Steve sighed, "I'm already kind of tired. Can't wait for bed."

Emily could. If she didn't have to sleep, she certainly wouldn't. The nightmares were getting worse and worse to the point that she was getting only a little sleep. She woke up every night and struggled to get back to sleep, her body fighting the urge. Going to bed early didn't even have an effect, her sleep was still ruined.

"Yeah, me neither," she eventually used a flat tone.

Steve looked at her strangely.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she lied, "I'm gonna try and finish my book, see you in a couple of hours."

"See ya."

She walked into her room and closed the door behind her. Walking over to her bag, she pulled out her pyjamas and laid them on a chair, along with her slippers. As she got her toothbrush out, she remembered that she hadn't asked where the toilets were. Oh well, she thought, as she pulled out her book, I'll ask later.

Part of her wished that she could tell someone, someone who would help her keep the nightmares at bay. But she couldn't, she simply couldn't. No one would understand, she reasoned, as she lay on the bed and opened her book at the marked page.

She grimaced as she lost herself in thought.

**I'm pretty happy with this chapter so please, please, please review.**

**Next chapter: the reasons for Emily's nighmares are revealed and it brings her and Steve closer.**

**Hope to see you again soon xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMED**

**Chapter 7**

Steve couldn't sleep. Not one wink. The air con was producing a gentle breeze in the very tiny room so it wasn't the heat that keeping him awake. He wasn't particularly tired, so he just lay there, staring up at the dim ceiling.

But his thoughts were broken by a piercing scream. The walls were thin and it suddenly occurred to him that the noise was coming from next door, which was Emily's room. His movements suddenly increased as he grabbed the gun from the bedside table. As he did, there were more yells, which were weaker but more frequent.

Rushing out of the room, he crept down the corridor and opened the door a little, holding the weapon in front of his face. Going in a little more, he placed it on his side when he realised that there was no intruder. However, there was still something wrong.

Emily was in her bed, the sheets kicked off to the bottom of the bed. Her arms and legs were flailing but she was not awake, her eyes were tightly shut in slumber. Tears were streaming down her face, which was distorted with pain. She was white as a sheet and the yells tumbled out of her mouth. The screams eventually subsided but she continued to moan "no" as she shook violently. Not able to see her too well, he switched the bedside light on.

Steve placed himself at the side of the bed, unsure whether it was right to wake her or not. Deciding that he probably should, he leant over and said her name gently. When this did not wake her after several seconds, he reached out and touched her shoulder, saying the name a little more sharply.

At the touch, Emily bolted upright, suddenly right awake. She panted, not aware that Steve was next to her. Her face was tear-stricken, her eyes puffy and confused. Hair was matted all over her face, messy, wild even. Her body had not finished shaking and it was still doing so violently. She breathed heavily, fear still gripping her tightly.

It was then she finally noticed him.

"S…S…Steve?" she whispered, still shaking, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you yelling, the walls are pretty thin. I thought you were in trouble, so I came in."

Emily reached for her phone and saw the time as being 2:53 in the morning. She said nothing, staring down at the bed.

"You're not okay, are you?"

She shook her head and he moved closer as she burst into tears. Feeling slightly awkward but believing that it was the right thing to do, he wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his shoulder. He let her cry without speaking, patting her back. It felt so odd seeing her like this- she was usually so bright and bubbly, the one who hid any negative emotions. Feeling that she was boiling hot, he pulled the blanket further off her.

After several minutes, the sobbing subsided and she pulled away, looking slightly embarassed.

"That looked to be a pretty bad dream."

She nodded, playing with her hair, "They usually are, but this was definitely one of the worst ones. They're usually the same, but sometimes they have added element that make it more upsetting. I just feel like I'm going to be sick."

She grabbed her drink and drunk it thirstily, craving the sweet touch of the ice cold water. Placing it back on the table, she snivelled and gave him a shaky smile.

"How long have you been having them?"

"Several months. It's not just during the night, I get flashbacks during the day and I just break down."

She grimaced.

"If you don't mind me asking, what actually caused it?"

She fell silent but then opened her mouth, "I better start at the beginning."

"It was London, several months ago, about February time. Along with a handful of other rookies, we'd been sent there for a long mission, as several alien artefacts had been found dotted around England, mainly in the capital. It was a learning curve, but we'd mainly been in the background due to our inexperience. Then one day, this teenager turns up, called Ben. Turns out he'd found one of the artefacts and it had attacked it, causing some kind of mutation in him. This mutation caused some kind of powers and the wrong people were tracking him, so we were tasked with his protection. A couple of times, they let me sit with him and we became close. Not super close, but we got along really well and he even attempted to teach me how to play soccer. Attempted, I say, because I could never actually do it. All was well until he was in the care of two others. Those awful people distracted and subdued them, kidnapping Ben. We eventually tracked them to this warehouse and freed him. There was a shoot-out- I actually managed to get on of them and after a tremendous fight, we thought that they were all dead. Ben was called out of his hiding place and went to join us. Unfortunately, we hadn't counted that one of them had only been knocked slightly unconcious."

Steve's stomach lurched.

"Was he..?"

Emily nodded, "Shot, right in the chest. He had no chance. It was the first time I'd seen somebody killed who wasn't an enemy, but an ally. Being a SHIELD agent, I thought I'd get over my first sight like everybody else. But this was...different. You know they say it goes in slow motion? Well that's true. He was innocent, a civilian. Had parents and a brother and a sister at home, a girlfriend too. Lucy, I think she was called. I went back to the hotel that night and that was when the nightmares started. I woke up in tears, the scene rushing through my mind. It was the same for weeks, I woke up screaming. They stopped every so often, but only for a night at most. I could manage it for a while. But then I got the call."

_Flashback_

_Emily flicked through the channels, nothing taking her fancy. Switching off the TV, she was just about to turn in when her phone buzzed. She picked it up to her ear._

"_Hello?"_

"_Good evening, Agent Collins."_

_Her heart pounded. What did Director Fury want with her?_

"_I have some news. You may want to be sitting down for this; it's not going to be easy to hear."_

_It pounded even harder as she settled into the bed, "Okay, I'm ready. What is it?"_

_She heard Fury take a breath before he spoke again, "I don't know how to tell you this, Collins, but your Uncle was killed today. Loki escaped and when he attempted to stop him, he was stabbed through the back. He died several minutes later. I'm truly sorry."_

_Emily's world stopped as her mind went into overdrive. Uncle Phil, the goofy, Captain America-obsessed guy with killer skills and a big heart was dead?_

"_Was he in much pain?"_

"_I can't say I know."_

_Tears finally reached her eyes and she bit her lip, trying not to let out a scream of anger._

"_Collins? You still there?"_

"_Er...yes, sorry Director, trying to process it."_

"_I'll let you get off._ _Once again, Collins, I'm truly, truly sorry. I'll trust that you inform your parents."_

_He hung up and the second after he did, the cry ripped from her throat. Throwing her phone to the side, she dived into the pillow and sobbed, sobbed like she'd never done before. Her heart was broken because that bastard Loki had hit her where it hurt. If she had the opportunity, she wished dearly that she could hurt him like he'd hurt her._

_She wouldn't sleep well that night._

_End of flashback._

"His face replaced Ben's in the nightmares and he was always in a pool of blood. It wasn't always, but it was a fair bit. Sometimes, I saw them both. That was the worst. They let me go home for the funeral and that was the hardest week of my life. Thing is, we didn't get the body cos they claimed…well, I can't remember what they claimed. I had to stay strong for my mom- she was a wreck, crying every second of every day. I read the eulogy, I spent hours writing that. Afterwards, everyone told me how brave and strong I was how I was handling it better than they thought. But they didn't know. They didn't know about the nightmares and the breakdowns and everything else."

She shook and finished.

"Wow," Steve was heartbroken by her story, "That is so awful, I can't imagine going through all that in the space of a couple of months."

"When I saw him again, I thought I was dreaming. At first, I was happy, so pleased that one of the people I love most in the world was back. But then it all came flooding back- the hurt, the pain, the fear. My nightmare was terrible that night."

Emily reached for her water again.

"Who else have you told?"

"Nobody," she whispered, "I felt so stupid, so irresponsible, I couldn't, I just couldn't. You're the first to know, before anyone else."

He patted her arm.

"Are you going to get some help?"

She shook her head immediately, "No, I can handle it."

"Emily, you're obviously in a bad place and you need to speak to somebody. If you can't sleep and you're breaking down due to flashbacks, then you need to get some serious help. You're straining yourself and you won't be capable as an agent. You're a danger to yourself. Do you want to be that girl, hm?"

She shook her head once again, but he wasn't sure if she was disagreeing or not.

"Is there a counsellor at SHIELD?"

She nodded.

"Are you interested in going?"

She shook her head again, "I don't want to, I'm fine."

Steve realised that she wasn't budging or backing down. Coulson wasn't lying when he told them that she was the most stubborn person he'd ever met, bar Director Fury and possibly Maria Hill.

"Please, Emily," he pleaded, "You need to do this,"

She looked at his soft, pleading eyes.

"I'll think about it," she finally cracked, "But I can't promise anything."

Emily shifted closer and rested her head on his shoulder. For some reason, he felt less awkward than when he had hugged her not long ago, so put an arm around her. The sobs had mainly subsided but they still evolved every so often. Eventually realising how annoying that was, Emily grabbed her drink, only to realise that there wasn't any left.

"You want me to get you some more?" Steve indicated to the empty glass.

She shook her head, as she swung her legs out of bed and threw her feet into her slippers, "Nah, I'll get it myself. You get back to sleep, need to be well rested for tomorrow."

He headed towards the door first and opened it to allow Emily to go out first. She smiled at him as she pulled her thin, silk dressing down around her tiny frame. She waited until Steve had left the room before turning to him. They hovered awkwardly for a while before she decided to speak.

"Thank you, for everything. Most people would have been all twittery and fussy, wanting to know every detail and not leaving me alone until I gave them that. But you were so kind and understanding, made sure that I felt ok. That was really nice, I feel a bit better."

He smiled down at her, "Well, it's what friends are for."

"Yeah…friends," she went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, "I'll see you later."

He merely waved as she walked away, her long, messy locks flying behind her. She didn't seem to give two hoots about how unpresentable she looked, considering how many agents would be dotted around the base, even in the wee hours of the morning.

Steve returned to his dimly lit room. He lay back down on the lumpy bed and picked up an old photograph from the side. The Howling Commandos stared back at him, all smiles. It was taken at a bar in the 40's, it felt so long ago. Bucky was squatting in the middle, one hand clutching a glass of beer with the other extended out. Gabe Jones and Jim Morita were on the right, smiling brightly with Falsworth and Dernier on the left. Dum Dum was crouched on the floor and Steve was doing the same on the other side of the Bucky.

Dead. All dead. He'd seen the files- all of old age. They'd married, had kids, and lived without him in a world they understood. Well, apart from one.

He'd watched it happen; he'd seen Bucky fall from the train, falling slowly from the icy top into the cold river below. But SHIELD declared that he was MIA, so they must have had some reason to think that he was still alive. But how? No-one could survive that fall, well, at least no-one human. If he'd survived, he'd surely find his way back to Steve. Unless he'd gotten amnesia, then he could have forgotten everything and everyone. Was he trapped behind enemy lines and died without proper certification? This may have led them to believe he was still alive, because they had no record of his death.

A million ideas wizzed through his head as he lay back down, trying to get back to sleep. Part of him wanted to wait up for Emily and see if she was ok, but she probably just wanted to get some shut eye. Besides, the break room, which he presumed was the place that she was heading to to get the drink, was quite far and he would need to be up early in the morning for a training exercise or something.

Reaching out, he turned off the lamp and drifted off into the darkness.

**I wrote that chapter ridiculously quickly and I'm pretty proud of it. I wrote most it before the last chapter was written. The next chapter will be a while due to personal reasons.**

**Next chapter: Coulson and Emily have a heart-to-heart in an attempt to get things back to normal.**

**Thanks and I hope to see you again soon xxx**


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